A recent report by the American Academy of Pediatrics tells the story of increasing levels of stress among today’s teenagers. Too many kids in high school are too worried about getting into college — the “best college” — without first taking into account whether it’s the best college for them. One of AAP’s publications associated with the report explains the underlying cause and effect of the pressures laid upon today’s teenagers:

The most worrisome thing about this generation of driven students may be the fear of imperfection that’s being instilled in their psyches. This fear will stifle their creativity, impede their ability to experience joy, and ultimately interfere with their success.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the college experience, The Conference Board reports that today’s graduates are not ready for the workplace. The report makes a distinction between skills (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, etc.) and the ability to apply those skills (Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration, Leadership, Creativity/Innovation, etc.). The typical high school graduate is, according to the report, “deficient” in basic areas like Writing, Comprehension, and Math; “deficient” in important applied skills like Critical Thinking and Written Communications; “deficient” in the area of professionalism; and “adequate” in Technology, Diversity, and Teamwork.

College graduates, meanwhile, are slightly better prepared than high school graduates. The typical college graduate, however, remains “deficient” in Writing and Leadership.

Is this generation going to hell, or what?

Last week I was randomly approached by an employee of ABC News. She was filming for their Seen and Heard segment, a segment that gives viewers the opportunity to submit their own videos to offer their opinions on all sorts of different subjects. I have no idea whether anything I said aired, but some of the questions were extremely odd. The last question, “Who is the laziest person you know?” came entirely out of right field — as offended by the question as I was, I played it cool and said, “I can’t think of anyone.”

In any case, one other question posed to me was wrt the recent incidents of school violence that have been plastered all over the airwaves lately. “Will new security measures make schools any safer?” In the course of my answer, I conveyed that security measures by themselves would not make schools any safer. We need a more comprehensive solution that focuses on the whole experience of the public school. If we can begin to answer the question, “What will high school graduates have accomplished by the time they receive their diplomas?” we’ll be a large step toward increasing both the quality and safety of the public schools.

Would that experience involve attending some classes at a local college or univeristy? participating in community service? spending a month as an apprentice in a work environment? participating in a collaborative research project?

I recently interviewed Jim Hammond at the Gainesville Theatre Alliance for the Atlanta Performs Podcast. He offered a very interesting viewpoint. GTA is an alliance between two local colleges and the local community. Part of the program involves bringing professional actors and directors for the productions. In one particular case, a professional actor was brought in for a role in one of GTA’s major productions — this actor was off-book on the first day of rehearsal. By the next rehearsal, all the students were also off-book — not because it was required, but because they were inspired by the example set by the professional actor.

The experience gave these students hope.

While the “No Child Left Behind” program focuses on punishing entire schools for being unable to make their students pass a set of standardized tests, the real example set by the program is a negative lesson. While the intention of the program is to “make schools accountable,” the program also teaches a lesson to the students of public schools: fear failure. If you pass the tests, you get a pat on the back and no punishment. If you fail, you get punished.

In an environment of testing and learning “by the book,” there is no hope.

If current trends in public education are to be reversed, there are lessons to be learned in all these reports. There’s a certain age when children should no longer be treated like children — that happens when positive examples to follow (and chances to follow them) are in greater abundance than lectures and “accountability.”

Our public schools need to be places of hope and experience, not fear and testing.